How Are You, Today?
by Alaina61999
Summary: Stephanie has been feeling really sad for the past few months. All of her friends have noticed, but they don't know what's wrong. But when Sportacus finds out what's really wrong, a lot of trouble comes.
1. Chapter 1

"Stephanie!" Ziggy knocked on her window. "Do you really not want to play soccer with us? We'll invite Sportacus to make it even!"

Stephanie put her pillow over her head. "I don't feel like it right now."

Ziggy frowned. "Come on, Stephanie. We're all waiting on you!"

"It'll still be even if you don't invite Sportacus." She sat up and closed her curtains.

Ziggy shook his head and walked back to the field with the rest of his friends. "She won't come out..."

Trixie looked towards her house. "It might take a little effort sometimes, but she's never not come out before..."

Pixel frowned. "Yeah. It's like she's gotten sadder and sadder these past few months."

"But why?" Ziggy asked. "Is she homesick?"

"No way." Trixie crossed her arms. "She loves it here in LazyTown."

Stingy expressed concern as well. "Maybe, Sportacus could help? She seems to smile a little more when he's around."

Trixie nodded. "Yeah! B- but not a lot more... What if he isn't enough?"

Pixel shrugged. "It's worth a shot."

Trixie reached in her bag and grabbed a piece of paper and pen. She went over to the mailbox and wrote something down before putting it in the tube and sending it to Sportacus. The message was soon received and Sportacus did his usual flips to retrieve it.

He smiled. "I've got mail." He opened the tube and read the letter. "'Stephanie is feeling very sad and won't leave her room.'" He gasped. "Oh no. This isn't good at all."

Sportacus quickly ran to the pilot seat and headed straight to LazyTown. Like everyone else he's noticed she's gotten sadder too, but... He sees it a bit differently than everyone else. He believes there might be something seriously wrong. When he was right above them. He called for the ladder and quickly exited the ship. All the teens crowded him when he reached the ground.

"You have to help her, Sportacus." Trixie spoke first.

"I know, I know." He looked towards her house. "I'm going right over." When he started to walk the teenagers quickly followed. "Guys. I might need to talk to her alone."

They all looked at each other before nodding. Maybe a group of people isn't always the best thing to see when you're upset. Especially if you want to be alone. Sportacus went to the house and walked in. He greeted the mayor and continued on to her room. The door was closed , so he knocked. Not that he wouldn't have knocked even if it was open.

"Go away." She responded.

"Stephanie... It's me, Sportacus." He smiled slightly hoping that would change her mind.

There was a pause before she spoke again. "You go away, too..."

He frowned, a little hurt by that. "Please, Stephanie. Everyone is worried about you."

"I couldn't imagine why."

"Because we all love you." He tried to think of what might get her to open the door.

"You shouldn't." Her voice became low.

Sportacus gasped at her comment. "What? Why would you say that?"

"Cause it's the truth."

"Stephanie, I'm coming in." He held the door handle.

"Whatever..." She turned back slightly to see him walk in, before turning back towards the wall.

He closed the door before walking over and kneeling next to her bed. "Stephanie... What has you feeling this way?"

She tensed up despite his voice being warm and soft. "Nothing 'has me feeling this way'." She sighed. "I had a realization."

"That was?" He asked with genuine concern.

"How could could anyone love me..." she spoke just above a whisper.

He just stared at her in disbelief. "E- easily... The Mayor loves you... All of your friends do... I love you."

"Stop saying stuff just to make feel better." She pulled her cover up higher.

"Stephanie look at me." She didn't move. "Stephanie, please..."

She hesitated before turning over and facing him. They realized that they were both on the verge of tears.

"I'm being very sincere right now when I say, 'I love you'."

She stared at him and tried to keep from crying. She screwed her eyes shut, but nothing seemed to work. She began to sob softly as Sportacus quickly pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket. He gently patted the tears away. "I just can't believe you, Sportacus... I'm just so lazy..." She curled up. "And annoying, and an empty shell of what I once was. How could you love me if I can't..."

"You don't...?" He took the handkerchief and wiped his own eyes. He stood up and put it back in his pocket. "Have you eaten today?"

"No." She stared straight ahead.

It was nearly three. "That's not good. Come on, see if you can make it to the kitchen."

"I don't feel like moving." She huffed. "I'm not hungry anyway."

He sighed. "You still need to eat." He put his arms out. "I'll carry you."

Stephanie shrugged than removed her cover and sat up slowly. She was still in her pajamas, a clear sign that she hadn't moved all day. He carefully picked her up and walked to the kitchen. Mayor Meanswell had already returned to his office it seems. Sportacus gently sat her down in the chair at the table. Before he could even walk away from her, she put her head down.

He opened the refrigerator. "Would the Mayor mind if I use some food?" He looked back at Stephanie.

Her head was turned away from him as she shrugged. "Doesn't matter." She mumbled.

He frowned. "I'll just replace it..."

Stephanie turned to him when he took multiple items out of the fridge. He was mumbling dishes and ingredients to himself. She looked away when he started cooking. He cooked the food pretty quickly. It was kind of weird... The scent of breakfast filled the air. Stephanie raised an eyebrow. Isn't it nearly three? Maybe he's just doing it because it's her first time eating today. She turned back and saw him with a plate pancakes, eggs, and bacon.

She picked her head up and looked up at him. "You can make pancakes?"

"Um... Yes, I can. I just can't eat it." He sat it in front of her with a fork. "I can make a lot of things with sugar in it..."

She nodded. "I didn't expect that."

He turned back and poured a cup of water. "You should eat." He placed the cup of water on the table.

"Don't feel like it..." She stared at the food. It really did look good. "I appreciate the effort though."

"You have to, Stephanie." His expression was serious, but kind.

She looked at him then the food. She took the fork and began to eat slowly. He smiled slightly, for she was finally doing something. "Taste good..."

"Thank you." He sat in the chair closest to her. "You know, Stephanie... Even when you feel bad, you still need to take care of yourself."

"No point." She continued to eat, faster than before.

"Hmp..." He smiled. "How about... We go to the library! We're not that active there, but a little reading never hurts."

"Yeah. It's nice and quiet in there." She looked at him, slightly annoyed.

He frowned. She's a lot more mean too, it seems. Sportacus would never think that, though. It just hurt his feelings. "I'm sorry, Stephanie." He said with sigh.

After she finished her food he asked her to get dressed. And after he explained why she couldn't leave the house in her pajamas she trudged to her room. He rubbed his chin as he sat at the table. He didn't believe this was a simple sad spell. Mostly considering how it's lasted for months. And her feelings of worthlessness were off putting. And it made him rather sad to hear her speak that way. They were mostly headed to the library for him to do some research. He wanted to know what was really wrong. When she returned they left for the library. They passed the other kids playing soccer. Stephanie didn't respond when they tried to say hi. Sportacus assured them not to feel bad about her reaction. Or lack there of. When they entered the library, he left her at a table and she quickly fell asleep.

He shook his head as he walked through the library. "Doesn't seem like a good place to do flips." He whispered to himself.

As he walked through, he observed many of the books until he found himself and section labeled 'Human Behavior'. He skimmed all of the books he picked up until he found one that described Stephanie's recent behavior all too well. He takes the book and sits at the table with her. She seems to have something called 'depression'. He had never heard the word before. Suddenly her voice broke his concentration.

"Sportacus." She hadn't moved from her sleeping position.

He looked up from his reading and placed the book down, saving his page. "Yes, Stephanie?"

"How would you feel if..." She paused.

"If...?" He looked at her, a bit upset he couldn't see her face.

"If you... Never saw me again?" Her voice got lower with every word.

"I... I'd be devastated." He picked up the book he was reading and quickly changed the subject. "I found this book. I think I know what's wrong."

She looked up and glanced over the page he showed her. "Huh..."

"This page is talking about..." he began to talk quieter. Self harm..." He looked at her arms. "I don't think you've done that."

"I'm... Going home." She stood up and started to leave the library.

He didn't want hold her back, it's not like he's her guardian. "Oh... See you later, Stephanie."

Her hand slightly lifted up in a poor attempt to wave as she left the building. After she left Sportacus read a little more about this 'depression' thing. Seems to be quite uncommon in LazyTown. The book says it can sometimes go away on its own, but other times it can lead to death... By suicide.

He gently closed the book. "Stephanie wouldn't do that..."


	2. Chapter 2

Robbie Rotten had decided to snake around above ground, because he hadn't seen Sportacus in a few days. "Has Sportaflop finally decided to quit? I haven't seen him around recently." He walked over to wear the teens played. "Hey, Stinky!"

Stingy glared in his direction before walking over. "What do you want, Robbie?"

"So... Has, um... Sportaflop stopped visiting?" He smiled. "Please say yes."

"No." Robbie cursed under his breath. "He just spends a lot of time with Stephanie. Well... He tries. She's become a shut in. And she doesn't even let him near her."

"Hm... Interesting." He shooed Stingy away. "He's being distracted right now... But why by Pinky all of a sudden?" He shrugged. "Who cares! Time to scheme."

As he began to walk back to his lair, he saw Sportacus entering a house. "Hm... Time to be... Sneaky." He grinned.

Robbie quietly tiptoed over to the house and looked in behind the bushes. The curtains were shut, so he couldn't see anything. "Dammit..." But then he heard Sportacus speaking. "Oh? Now it's good!" He listened carefully.

"You haven't eaten yet, have you?" There was no audible response. "Well, breakfast is in there."

"Why are you still putting up with me?" Robbie frowned as he heard her words. "Just leave me here."

"I could never do that, Stephanie." Robbie heard discomfort in his voice. He sounded kind of sad. "You're too important to me."

Then there was sobbing. "Why?"

"Oh God." He hopped up and quickly walked away from the window. Stephanie was depressed, he concluded. Her tone of voice and the things she said were all too familiar. That was really hard to hear. Perhaps he should spare Sportacus for the time being. Just for her. But, it's not like she doesn't know other people. They can take care of her too, right? He could get him while his guard is down...

Robbie felt kind of bad, but he kind of didn't care. But then again he did. "Uhg, I'll think about this in the lair..."

When Sportacus left her room, Stephanie sat up. She reached for her diary and began to scribble the same word over and over again. When tears started to hit the paper, she rubbed her eyes. "I'm such a nuisance to him..."

Sportacus sat at the kitchen table and shook his head. "I can't believe it..." He looked up. "I don't know what to do. I tried to read the book." He pulled it out of his jacket. He checked it out before he left the library the other day. "'Love and care'... 'Not too much attention'. Maybe I'm giving her too much attention." He looked towards the direction of her room. "Or not enough... This book seems outdated."

Suddenly his crystal began to go off. "Someone's in trouble." He hesitated before running out the door. "I will be back, Stephanie!" Then he left.

After a few minutes, Stephanie walked into the kitchen. She was slightly disappointed to not see Sportacus there. She saw he left his book on the table next to the breakfast. That definitely means he's coming back. She walked over and looked at it.

"What's... Depression...?" Normally she would have read it out of curiosity, but she was disinterested in nearly everything at this point. She walked near one of the kitchen drawers. "This is the one with candy in it, right?" She opened it. "No, this is the knife drawer."

When she was little, her uncle told her to never go in there. She obliged of course. But as she got older she was able to cook for herself, she was now allowed. She eyed the knife and slowly picked it up.

Sportacus was on the edge of the field talking to the other teens. He was telling them that Stephanie hadn't seemed to get any better. Everyone was sad to hear it. He didn't really want to tell them about her possible condition, though. He was mid sentence when his crystal went off again.

He turned back. "Stephanie." He looked at the group. "I have to go." Before he finished the sentence he was already taking off.

Sportacus barges through the door and his eyes went straight to her. She turned around with wide eyes and just stared at him. He was too late. Blood was dripping from her wrists and the knife. She dropped the knife when Sportacus stepped forward.

"Um, I..." She couldn't even make up a lie.

He ran to her and looked at her wrist. "Please don't tell me you cut down..." He mumbled.

She looked up at him as he dragged her to the sink. "Don't be mad at me..."

"I'm not..." He turned on the water and washed the blood off. He sighed. "So, you would do that..."

"Do what?" She asked quietly.

"N- nothing..." He eyed the many cabinets. "Is the medicine cabinet in the bathroom?" She nodded slowly. "Okay."

He took both her hands in one and walked her to the bathroom. He opened the cabinet behind the mirror. He took out the alcohol and content swabs, bent down then began to pat the fresh wounds lightly. She hissed at the pain, but didn't complain with words.

"Sorry... I need to clean it." He didn't look up at her.

She looked away as he put on the antibiotic cream and bandages. "You're not going to leave me alone anymore, are you?"

He stood up straight and returned the items to their original home. "No." He said rather sternly.

She frowned. "I guess I should have known your crystal was going to go off."

"No, Stephanie. You shouldn't have done it at all." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I know it looks like I'm mad at you, but I'm not. I'm really not."

She looked down. "Really?"

"Really." His voice became a little shaky. "At this point... I'm scared."

"Sportacus? Scared?" She looked up at him with a raised eyebrow.

Normally, he would've laughed. But it wasn't the time. "Yes. Of you seriously hurting yourself to the point where you can't be saved." His eyes were watery when he bent down to become eye level with her. He grabbed her hands before he spoke. "Stephanie. Please promise me you will never do this again."

She turned away. "I don't want to lie to you."

"I see." He stood up and walked her out of the bathroom. When they entered the kitchen she went to the food he had made her earlier, which was cold at this point. When she sat down and begin to eat, Sportacus shook his head. "No, no. Let me make you something fresh."

She pulled the food closer to her. "It's fine." She then looked at the book again. "Do I have... 'Depression'?"

As he leaned on the table he glanced at the same book then looked away. "Um, Yeah."

"What is it?" She asked before eating a fork full of eggs.

"An illness characterized by extreme bouts of sadness." He looked forward. "Why would you do that?"

She tucked some hair behind her ear. "Do what?"

He frowned. "Don't do that."

She looked up from her food. "Do what?"

He sat down in the chair across from her. "Listen, Stephanie. This is very serious. I need an answer."

"It made me feel better." Up until she made Sportacus nearly cry. Again.

"That doesn't mean it was a good thing to do." He sighed. "I might have to tell someone. I can't always keep an eye out on you."

"No!" She nearly shouted. He was taken aback by her response. When she noticed his reaction, she lowered her voice. "I- It's bad enough you know. I don't want anyone else to know."

"You can't even promise me that you won't do it again." He looked at her sternly.

She looked down in an attempt to avoid his gaze so she wouldn't cry. "I..."

His expression softened. "I won't tell anyone." He sighed. "I'll just have to come to LazyTown a lot sooner and leave a lot later."

She nodded. "If that's what you think you have to do... You don't have to take care of me."

"I don't have to... But I want to." He got up and walked over to her. Before he could even ask she hugged him around the waist. He soon hugged back. "You're really important to me."


End file.
